Viscosity regulator



Fgb. 18; 1936. w. THOMAS I 2,031,018

VI 5005 IT! REGULATOR Filed may 15., 19:53 4 sheets-sheet '2 Feb. 18,1936. v I w. THOMAS 2,031,0181- VISCOSITY REGULATOR Filed u'a 15, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES vrscosrrr masons-roe William'lhomMtmELasslgnortoPneumeroator Company, New York. N. Y.,acorporationofhlaine Application May is, less, Serial No. 611.10: p i

a mm. ((1137-78) The present invention relates to means liquids; such liquids. for example, as fuel oils of the grades which are burned .under the steam boilers of power plants. While the invention is notlimitedastoitsfleld of use,ithasspecial.

utility. and was developed with primary reierence, to the purpose of-maintalning a definite prescribed viscosity in oils of the heavier grades which are burned to generate industrial power. The invention will now he described in terms of its adaptability for that purpose; in the understanding that such description does not imply any limitation of protection to less than that to which g: invention is entitled by virtue of its place in It is well known that in burning the heavier grades of oil for industrial purposes, the most effective combustion is secured bymaintaining a constant viscosity and pressure for each particular grade of oil and each orifice -oi' burner tip, merciless of the load on the boiler. In most installations, the proper pressure at the burner is .maintained by operating a valve in the oil return line to the storage tank, this. valve being opened or closed, according to the load or the number of burners.

Viscositymaybevariedeitherbymlxlngoil of different viscosity withthattakenfromthemain supply, or by varying the temperature of the oil at some point in its course from the supply tank to the burner. In practice the only variation made in viscosity is to thin the sl ssi h oil by heating or by dilution with a lighter oil.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple control apparatus which is sensitive to the viscosity of oil and is adapted to operate through electrical or other suitable control means to open and close a valve for admitting steam to a steam heater through which the oil passes. or admitting dilution oil to the stream flowing to the burner, or alternatively. to operate other heat controlling means of any suitable character, such as the switch of an electric heater, etc. In utilizing the viscosity of the oil as the primary control factor, I am able to avoid the difllculties and ob- Jections incident to the use '0! thermostatic and damper control means, to obtain an extremely high degree of sensitivity in control, and to eflect adiustmmts in a most simple and eilicient manner. The primarycontrolling element of the invention is a movable body immersed in a. howing-streamottheoilandwhichisail'ectedby 'tricttonoltheoilonitssurfaceandisrestrained byyielding'means from traveling with theoil;

for controlling. altering and regulating the viscosity of Its movements in opposite directions due to chanzingviscosity'oftheoilareutilisedtoom erateanelectricreliworthelikewhichinturn causesaregulatingvalvetobeopenedandclosed. An embodiment of the invention in connection 'withanoilburningsystemwhichusess'teamto heattheviscous sluggishoilisshowninthedrawings herewith and described in the following speciiication. q

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a tie view of the entire appalms:

Fig.2isanelevati0npartlyinsectionolthe controller in which the invention is particularly embodied, viewed from the lineI-I of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section of the control apparatus taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail crosslsection of theprimary control element taken on line H of Fig. 8;

Fig.5isasectionalviewofthelowerpartof the regulator showing the primary control element as displaced by the frictional drag of flowing oil;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the controller and horizontal section on line 8-0 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation and verticalsection on line 1-1 of Fig. 2; v

Fig.8isavertical sectiononline l-l 01118.2;-

Flgs. 9 and-10 are detail sectional views on an enlarged scale showing the packing and fulcrum -issupported and through which it operates the electric circuit closer which constitutes a second element of the control means.

Like reference characters designate the same partswhereverthey occurinallthefigures.

3816111118 to Fig. .1 which shows tically the principles oianoilburning plantin which the invention is embodied, ll represents a storagetank inwhichalupplyofoiliscontalncd. and i! represents an oil burner, typifyiq any type or character of burner by which oil of the heavier grades may be burned. Oil iswithdrawn from the tank by a pump it through a pipe I4, and forwarded to the burner through a pipe line il and a heater It interposed in this pipe line. Areturn pipe II leadsbacktothetank fromthe burner. In fact the supply and return linesform a closed circulating system with the tank, from which branches lead to the burner l2, and other burners. The desired pressure B maintained in thesimplysideofthiscircmtbyavalve ltin the return line, and each burner-has its own inde heater to which steam is admitted by a pipe 20 under control of a regulating valve II, and in which there are suitable provisions for making intimate thermal contact between steam and oil. 22 represents a waste pipe for the condensed water. However, this heater may be considered as typifying a heater of any other character in which other heating agents than steam may be used, as a flame, an electric heat generator, etc., controlled by a valve or switch; and it may also typify a'mixing chamber into which lighter oilmay be delivered by pipe II under control of a valve. In the generic sense therefore the heater is a modifier of the viscosity of the oil, and may be so called.

A by-pass 23, 24 leads from the supply pipe at the delivery side of the viscosity modifier to the return line. This by-pass is composed, in part by the casing 25 of my new viscosity regulator. The part 23 of the by-pass between the supply pipe and the regulator is of small capacity compared withthe supply pipe, so as. to permit only a small proportion of the oil to pass the regulator: and it is provided with a valve 26 which may be adjusted to throttle this flow, as well as to be closed entirely. Thus oil with the same viscosity as that supplied to the burner is caused to traverse the regulator with a continuous flow at low velocity and pressure, and without substantially reducing the supply available for the burners. However, if desired, and provided the regulator is designed to withstand the high pressure of oil in the burner supply line, the return side of the by-pass may also be connected to the supply pipe,

rather than to the return pipe; or the regulator could be interposed directly in the main supply line. a

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the casing 28 of the regulator is shown as forming an enlarged chamher in the by-pass, being in efl'ect a part of the same conduit with the pipes II and 24. In this chamber is located the primary control element 21 which for convenience-of description I have called a movable baiiie. It is preferably located in the axis of the flowing oil stream, and is 'made with stream-line contours in order to utilise to the fullest practicable degree the effects of surface friction, and to minimize the effect of direct Pressure and impact for deriving motion from the stream. Thus the friction'of the oil on the sides of the baiiie tends to carry the bailie with 'tlgilaoiistreamagalnsttheresistance oftheyielda e means, presently described. By its form, the baiiie cancels out to a great extent the impact or pressure factor which flow and velocity, and is made extremely sensitive to friction drag and to the-variations of friction due to variations in viscosity of theliquid. A commercially-practicable and economical approximation to the most eflicient stream-lined form is obtained by making the baiile as a hemiphere at the end which faces against the direc-' tion of flow, and giving it a reducing conical taper from the large end in the direction of flow.

'lhe baiiie is preferably made of thin sheet metal, hollow, with ports ll in its sides and small end so-as to admit the oil freely to its interior. a

This reduces its buoyancy to the lowest possible terms and eliminates errors and aberrations due to buoyancy; still further iimitlng the 'efl'ects of the oil upon it to those due to friction alone.

The bailie is flexibly suspended by a metallic hose or tube is of bellows construction, which is secured rigidly at its lower end to the upper side of the baflle,and is anchored at its upper end in the baffle back and forth under varying conditions 10 of oil viscosity. A spring 88 is connected at one end to the baiiie and at its other end to a regulating spindle 31 which paisses to the exterior of the casing in screw threaded connection with a nipple I8 and is rotatable for adjustment. A 15 stufling box 39 prevents leakage of oil past the spindle I1; and the hose II prevents'escape of oil through the thimble 30, being itself of impervious bellows construction and. being sealed iiquidtightatitsendstothebameandinthego thimble, respectively, by solder or suitably otherwise A ll which through the whole length of the flexible hose 2! and protrudes from the end of the latter, is rigidly fastened to the baiiie at 25 its lower end centrally in the hose, and is bent'or curved between its ends so that it bears against the inner wall of the hose at the outer end of the latter approximately at the location indicated lsinthediameterofthehomparalleltothe direction of stream-flow and is the fulcrum point about which the rod it swings when the Me moves with, or oppodt'ely to, the oil stream. The

protruding end of the rod operates an electric 35 switch or circuit breaker which is the secondary element of the viscosity control, and will nowbe described.

A bracket 42 is secured to the upper end of the stand-pipe by means of'screws It in lugs 44, and supports pivots 46 at opposite sides of the axis of the stand-pipe. A yoke I is mounted to oscillate on these pivots and crosses'the stand-pipe beside the rod 4|. One arm 41 of the yoke carries an insulating holder 48 in which is mounted a switch contact button 4. cooperating wi th an adjustable stationary contact ll made by the numeral ll in Fig. 9. This bearing point so as aserew whichis threaded'throughalug II on base I2. The contact 4! is normally held by gravity against the contact I, due to the. ar-' rangement and dispodtion of these parts, -as shown by the drawings. But equivalent means, such as a spring,may be obviously substituted for gravity in other arrangements embodying the principles of this invention.

The most sensitive position of the balls is which it naturally assumes .by gravity when no oil is flowing through the regulator. Hence the rodll andtheyokeorrockieraremutualbsodisposedastoallowthecontactlitorestagainst contact I when the baiiie is in that position. Thisisthepositionshowninalltheflguresexcept Figs. 5 and 1!). But when the baflie is displacedhyflowingoiloftoogreat viscosity, indicated in Fig. 5, it causes rod ll to swing about the fulcrum point ll. 8 h wn y 10. thereby displacing the rocker yoke and separating contact 4| from ll.

One of these contacts, preferably the screw contact Bl, is grounded on the frame, and the other one is conductor 53 with a relay 54 to which electric current is supplied by the-line wires II and II, which controls a solenoid I1 operating valve 2| through levers i8 nd u. Therelayisoneofthetypeinwhich a'vaouum tube controls current output. but involves novel features and principles for which I claim protection. The alternating current in the line induces. by meansof a transformer it, alternating currents in the fllament, grid and plate ofavacuumtubeli. Thegridpotentialisposi tive when the circuit oi the regulator is open. when this condition exists, current flows to the plate element of the tube. the contactor coil tic-- is energised and contactor lib is closed, which completes the circuit of solenoid II with the line. and causes valve ii to be opened. But when the circuit of the regulator is closed, the gridcircuit is grounded. its potential is negative. flow ofcurrenttotheplateisinstantlystoppedand the contactor'coil tic becomes dead, contactor lib opens the-solenoid circuit, and the valve Ii closes. Gravity a spring or other force .or force applying means may be employed for the valve. v

In order to prevent the solenoid valve from chattering and the system as a whole from hunting, means are provided for delaying the closmade for commercial use allows a variation in timelagfromserotofourseconds.

A wide range of viscosity r in-lotion is .obtainable by adjustment of the spindle 81 which varies the resistance oiferedby spring 30 to displacement of the baiiie by oil friction. Thus this adjustment alone sufiices to adapt the regulator instantly and accurately to oils of different grades. and to enable the switch 40,." to be alternately opened and closed with minute variations from anyspeciflc degree of viscosity which is determined as suitable for flow through theburner. Itwillbeseenfroml'lg.3that the distancefrom'fulcrum point Ii to the point where rod ll bears on rocker 4. is a small fraction of the distance from this fulcrum point to the baiiie, wherefore the baiiie acts on the rocker with multiplied leverage through this rod. This,

.aswellasthelengthandilexibilityoi'thl hose il,.assures that minute diflerences in tin frictioneii'ectofoilonthebaiiiewillbe-transposed into useful units of force and transmitted without less to the control switch.

Desirable structural features which, however,

,are not fundamental essentials of theinvention,

are the following. The casing 2' is made with an opening in the bottom large enough to receive the baflle, which is closed after assemblage by -a plate I! bolted in place with an interposed packlng washer.

The stand-pipe It is made in two parts, of.

which the lower part is integral with the casing 'II and the upperpart isin onepiecewith the basellwhichisboltedtoaflang'eltwithan interposed washer and carries'ths lug "previously mentioned and also a lug .in which a binding post for the wire leading to .the movable switchcontact II is mounted. A bridge Jl is secured across the lugs Ii and N, containing a binding post to which the conductor ll fromtherelayliisconnectedandfromwhicha opening wire memo thsbinding m for the I. as u is illustrated; but also the generic principles thereof and all equivalent forms of such principles, for all purposes to whichthey are applicable;

"whether the liquid to be regulated is oil; or

other viscous liquid and whether the destination of the liquid is a burner or other receiver. and whetherth'e viscosity is altered by heating. cooling. mixing, or otherwise.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: s

l, A viscosity regulator comprising a chamber having an inlet and an outlet for conduction of a flowing stream of liquid, a flexible liquid tight hose suspended from and opening through the top of said chamber in liquid tight connection therewith, a body secured inliquid tight connection with the lowerend of said hose and sus- A pended thereby in the midst of the chamber for frictional contact with the flowing liquid; a rod passing through the flexible hose into rigid con-, nection with the friction body at the lower end of the hose and having a fulcrum bearing atone side of the upper end of the hose. and protruding therefrom to provide an external lever arm adapted to transmit motion for useful purposes.

2. A viscosity regulator comprising a chamber having aiined inlet and outlet and anextension at one side between said inlet and outlet. a, flexible hose sealed liquid tight in the outer end of said extension and projecting thence into said chamber. clear of' the walls of the extensionliquid due to its viscosity. and means operable by such displacements of the baiiie for effecting a viscosity modification of the liquid.

3. A viscosity regulator comprising a'chamber having alined inlet and outlet and an extension at one side between said inlet and outlet, a flexible hose sealed liquid tight in the outer end of said extension and projecting thence into said chamber, clear of the walls of the extension whereby it is free to flex toward either .the inlet or the outlet, a movable streamlined baiiie secured to the inner end of said hose and located in the midst of the chamber for displacement due to the friction of liquid flowing therethrough, an

- adjustable spring connected with the bailie to act thereon oppositely to .the'liqu'id, and means actuated by suchdisplacement of the baiiie for eflecting a modification in the viscosity of the liquid.

4. A viscosity regulator comprising a chamber having alined inlet and outlet and an extension at one side between said inlet and outlet. a hexible hose sealed liquid tight in the outer end of said extension and projecting thence into said chamber, clear' of the walls of the extension whereby it is'free' to flex toward either the inlet or the outlet, and a stream-lined 'hollow baiile having ports opening to its-interior, secured'to the inner end of said hose and located thereby in chamber.

5. A viscosity regulator comprising a chamber having an inlet, an outlet, and a lateral extension intermediate the inlet and outlet and transverse to the line joining them, a stream-lined baille located in the chamber in the line of flow between the inlet and outlet adapted to be displaced by surface friction'with the liquid, yielding means acting on said baille in opposition to the frlc-' tional drag of the liquid. a rod secured to the baille projecting through and out of said exten: sion, a flexible liquid impervioushose surrounding said rod and fastened in liquid excluding connection at one end with the baille and in liquid excluding connection at its other end with the outer part of said casing extension, the rod prooperable by said rocker. V

7. A viscosity regulator comprising a chamber 'having a hollow. extension. in one side and an inlet and outlet in a line transverse to said exten-,

truding from said sleeveand having a fulcrum bearing in the .outer end thereof. I

6. A viscosity regulator comprising a chamber having an inlet, an outlet, and a lateral exten-' sion intermediate the inlet and outlet and transverse to the line joining them, a stream-lined bailie located in the chamber inthe'line of flow between the inlet andoutlet adapted to bedisplaced by surface friction with the liquid, yielding means acting on said baflie in opposition to the frictional drag of the liquid, a rod secured to the baffle projecting through and out 'of suicl extension, a flexible liquid impervious hose surrounding said rod and fastened in liquid excluding connection atone end with thebaiile and in liquid excluding connection at its other end with the outer part of said casing extension, the rod protruding from said sleeve and having a-fulcrum bearing in the outer end thereof, a rocker pivotally mounted on said extension and arranged for engagement by the protruding end of said rod to be moved thereby in consequence of displacements of the baiile, and an electric circuit closer sion, a hollow stream-lined baflie having an opening into its interior located in the chamber in the line of stream flow between the inlet and the outlet, an impervious flexiblehose secured at one end to the baiile and projecting, thence through 'the midst'of a stream flowing through the the extension into liquid tight union with the outer end part of the latter, said hose forming bothasupportforthebaille andameanstopre-' vent leakage of outflow of liquid through the extension, a spring connected with the bailie and arranged to exert yielding force thereon oppositely to the direction of liquid flow through the chamber, means external to the chamber for adjusting the force application of said spring, and a lever connected with the baille adaptedto operate viscosity moderating means in consequence of displacements of the baflle.

ii. A viscosity regulator comprising achamber having a hollow extension in one side and an inlet and outlet in a line transverse to said extension,-

a hollow stream-lined baiile having an opening into its interior located inthe chamber in the .line of stream flow between the inlet and the outlet, an impervious flexible hose secured at one end to the baiiie and projecting thence through the extension into liquid tight union with the outer endpart of the latter, said hose forming both a support for the baffle and a means to prevent. leakage of outflow of liquid through the extension. a spring connected with the baifle and arranged to exert yielding force thereon oppo-' sitely to the direction of liquid flow through the chambenmeans external to the chamber for adjusting the force application of said spring. a lever connected with the for movement in consequence of displacement by the latter. and an electric circuit closer mounted on the chamber extension and shiftable by said lever for opening and closing an electric circuit."

9. A viscosity regulator comprising a conduit, an element supported yieldingly in said conduit so as to be movable against yielding resistance by the frictional drag of fluid passing through'the conduit, a means in connection with the conduit for theviscosity of the-liquid therein.

viscosity changing means, anelectric relay controlling the circuit of said electromagnetic appliance, including a vacuum tube, and a circuit closer operable'by said frictional drag element.

one contact of the circuit closer being in circuit with the grid element of the vacuum tube andthe compl'emental contact being grounded.

s an electromagnetic appliance for acmating said 

